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Thursday, December 12, 2013

Play Bump with these cute little Santas. Add bi-colored disks (like the one at the end of this post) or let each player use two different coins.

Use three dice or number cubes and you are ready for some fun. I usually run off enough so that I have one game board for every two kiddos, then place the game in a sheet protector. Turn your kiddos loose, and they are ready for some fun!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

How Santa Got His Job and How Santa Lost His Job are two of my favorite Christmas books. I'm sharing the freebies I posted last year with you again in case you missed them the first time around or just need to be reminded about these two fun, fun, fun books.

I always start by using the covers of the book as a writing prompt. Ask your kiddos how they think Santa got his job and have them write a short story with all the story elements.

Once you read the story, they can compare and contrast their version with the original. Do the same activity for their predictions on how Santa lost his job.

Click on the pic above to get your gift for today……and please think about leaving me a comment. I love to hear from you.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Need a way to work off some of that extra energy bouncing around in your room?

Use this Write the Room activity to review regular and irregular plurals and sentence writing.

Tape the cards around the room, being sure to make some a little hard to find. I usually make a rule that there is no talking when we play. That just keeps the kids focused and lets them be a little sneaky when they are finding the words.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

We have tried to amp up our phonics and spelling practice this year by emphasizing multi syllable words in our literacy stations.

Our kiddos need practice with basic phonics decoding skills, but we didn't want to use the same words that they had been using since first and second grade. The words that accompany our new basal aren't rigorous enough to meet the foundational skills of Common Core, so we've tried to use multi syllable words in our decoding practice.

Your gift today is a Scoot game. Put one card on each desk, give each child or team of children a recording sheet, and ring a bell. Each child records the word under the correct heading, then moves to the next desk when they hear the bell.

Just click on the pic above to get your gift.

I love Scoot because they kids don't even know they are reviewing. It's a fun way to do a formative assessment at the end of a lesson, too.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Can you believe Thanksgiving is over? It's my favorite holiday and it seems like we celebrate the whole week instead of just on Thursday.

One of my lucky followers has something to be thankful for!

Patricia won my blog's giveaway sponsored by Carson-Dellosa and gets to choose either a copy of the ELA or Math Common Core Connections book for her grade level. Patricia, check your email for the details!

I've got a lot planned for December, so be sure to visit every day. I'll have some oldies, but goodies and some brand new freebies for you.

If you haven't heard, Teachers Pay Teachers is having a Cyber Monday Sale December 2 and 3. It's the perfect time to get those items on your wish list you've been wanting. I have some Christmas-themed products in my store, as well as items you can use year-round. I've also added two new stories to complement the third grade Journeys basal, so be sure to go look.

Every item in my store is marked off 20% and TpT is adding an addition percentage off, so you can get up to 28% off everything you buy!

Teachers Notebook is also having a sale starting tomorrow. It ends December 2. I've got everything marked down 20% there, too!

Monday, November 25, 2013

Today, I am thankful that my mama taught me how to cook….including how to make her dressing for Thanksgiving! This is our family's first holiday season without her, my mother-in-law, or my nephew. I guess it's time to combine some new traditions with the old ones and celebrate being together while remembering Memi, Nell, and Garner.Your freebie today is a review of proper nouns.

Click on the pic above to get your freebie!

Don't forget to click {HERE} for a chance to win a copy of Common Core Connections for your grade level.

I especially liked the variety of activities included in each book to address the standards. Although our school has gotten away from using so many worksheets, I think these are useful as homework and extra practice. They are good insights for parents to get a glimpse of what is going on in our classrooms. If you are like us and have to watch your copies, just make one copy and put in a sheet protector. Put all the sheets in a notebook and they will be ready for you to pull when you need differentiated practice for certain skills. As a bonus, each page includes the appropriate I Can statements for each activity.

Click on the pic for more info.

If you want to try to win a copy of either the ELA or Math Common connections for your grade level, enter through the Rafflecopter at the end of this post. Hurry! The giveaway ends on Friday!

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

I have so much to be thankful for. Sometimes it's hard to narrow it down to just one item for a post.

Not today.

I am thankful that the call to our local high school last Friday saying there was a gunman in the cafeteria was only a prank. I am thankful that none of my friends who work at SCHS or attend school there were injured. I am thankful that our local law enforcement and school district personnel responded so quickly. I am hopeful that others who might consider playing such a prank in the future have learned how fearful the parents and family members of those at the school felt, not knowing if their family members and friends were safe.

I am just thankful.

Now for your freebie…

These turkeys are skipping around! Your kiddos have to figure out the counting pattern and sort them under the correct heading.

Monday, November 18, 2013

I'm thankful that I've had both of my kids home from school for the weekend. My son was in a friend's wedding, and I loved seeing him all dressed up in a tux! I'm also thankful for the couple that got married and their sweet, touching wedding. I've known the groom since he was a little boy and I am proud of the young man he has become.

Your freebie for today is a game for practicing multiplying by ten.

Print off the game board, add a coin for flipping and some markers for moving and you are all set!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Today, I am thankful that I teach in a school system that tries to make decisions that put the best interests of the students first. That's not always the case in some places.

Your freebie for today is a quick, fun activity to review possessive nouns. Students draw a card, determine if the noun is a plural possessive or singular possessive noun, and record it on a graphic organizer. You can have them make the graphic organizer or use the one I included.

After writing the nouns, they highlight the apostrophe with a marker. Everything to the left of the apostrophe is highlighted in a different color. This helps them actually see the noun before the apostrophe is added.

After sorting the possessive nouns, students choose four nouns and use them in sentences.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Today I am thankful for my Sir Pizza buddies. We started out going to Sir Pizza after school when we all taught the same grade together, but now we've moved to different grades and different schools. We went tonight and I realized just how much I miss working side by side with them every day.

(If you haven't had a Sir Pizza pizza, you don't know what you are missing!)

Your freebie for today is an addition version of Bump. My kiddos have always liked playing Bump and would play all day if I let them. Put three dice or number cubes and the game board in your math station and you've got a quick and easy addition facts fluency practice.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Today, I am thankful for my local Ruby Tuesday restaurant. They donated twenty percent of their profits on Friday, Saturday, and today to our school. I ate there three times this weekend to show my support for them! They were so used to seeing me by today, that they gave me my own copy of a cookbook full of their recipes! Debbie, their manager, is friendly, compassionate, and willing to go the extra mile to help schools.

Today's freebie is all about plurals. Set a timer and get ready for some fun practice.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Today I am thankful that our high school football team won the first round in the State playoffs! Both my husband and son played for the Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles when they were in high school. Way to go!

(I'm betting Coach Hardy really didn't mind getting wet and cold!)

I know someone else that will be thankful when she hears this news.

Congratulations to Leigh! She followed me on Pinterest and won the Rockin'Reading game from Educational Insights!

Email me, Leigh, so I can get the details of claiming your prize out to you.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Today, I am thankful for my co-workers in the Reading lab. We make a good team and have lots of fun together. Who you work with makes all the difference!

Use today's freebie in a writing station. Cut out the pics, place in a bag or box, and let the students draw two to use as the basis for a narrative. Having to base the story on the two pics makes them plan before they begin writing. The activity includes a graphic organizer to use in the planning phase.

Just click on the pic above to get the file.

Don't forget to click {HERE} to enter my giveaway for the Rockin' Reading game from Educational Insights.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

I wanted to offer you a freebie correlated to a Common Core Standard for at least every other day, if not every day. Sadly, my mother-in-law passed away and I am getting a late start. My heart just wasn't in it. It's been a hard time for the past few months for my family. In addition to my mother-in-law, my mama, my nephew and my grandmother-in-law have all passed away since May. Although I miss them all, I am thankful for the role they all played in my life and in the lives of my children.

Take a few minutes and think about someone you are thankful for and let them know now!

I am thankful for you, all of my blog readers, and the kind comments you send me. Often, your sweet, funny words are the highlight of my day.

Here's your first freebie. Combine writing sentences with identifying verbs with these cute Thanksgiving characters. Give each student a sheet and have them write at least five sentences describing the picture. Each sentence must include a present tense verb.

If you don't have the ink to print a page for each kiddo, make one copy and post the sentences under the picture.

Just click on the pic above to get your freebie.

Don't forget to click {HERE} to enter my giveaway for the Rockin' Reading game from Educational Insights.